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The Carolina Mountain Club proudly dedicated the completion of the Firescald Knob relocation north of Camp Creek Bald last Sunday with over 35 people attending the ceremony at the site. The speakers included Howard McDonald, Don Walton, Piet Bodenhurst and Skip Shelton from the Carolina Mountain Club, Morgan Summerville and Bob Proudman of the ATC Staff. Also attending were Bob Almand and Phyllis Henry from the ATC Board of Managers. It was originally proposed in the 80's as part of the optimal Location Review to put the trail on the ridgeline to meet the goal of a scenic Appalachian Trail. The existing sidehill trail was about 150 feet below the ridgeline and offered no views, but the new trail passes through wild flower filled woods, climbs over rocks, goes up and down rock steps, moves directly along the narrow ridgeline, and has a number of 360 degree view spots looking into Tennessee and North Carolina.

Flagging of the relocation was done in 1997 and the first work by the Konnarock Crew was in 1998. Five years later and many, many hours of work brought the relocation to completion and dedication on August 17, 2003. The total of about 10,800 hours of work included 14 weeks of Konnarock Crew time totalling about 4900 hours, about 5600 hours by the Carolina Mountain Club, and 300 hours by the maintainers of this section, the Greeneville Hiking Club of Greeneville, Tennessee. The relocation is 1.65 miles long and replaces 1.5 miles of the original trail. The original trail section is now a blue blazed Bad Weather Trail while the new section is titled as an Exposed Ridgeline Trail.

The Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation has announced that the State of NC has signed into law a special revenue producing license tag. The new Blue Ridge Parkway tag will be like the Great Smokey Mountain State Park tag approved a few years ago. This will provide the Carolina Mountain Club a portion of each new tag sale that a CMC member makes through January 15, 2004. This is your chance to get that "vanity" tag you could not get before because the name was taken by someone else as this is a new issue series of numbers. Contact Don Walton to reserve your vanity name early.

Message from Houck Medford, Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation: Thanks to the unanimous support of every North Carolina senator, led by the efforts of Senator Joe Sam Queen, and a near compliment of members in the North Carolina House led by Representative Phil Haire, the Blue Ridge Parkway is now closer to the hearts, minds, and bumpers of North Carolina motorists.

The design for the full-color and distinctive background plate was developed by The Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation and the specialty tag division of the North Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles. “There may be some fine tuning before the tag goes into actual production in January, but we are 99% there,” remarked Dr. Houck Medford, executive director of the foundation.

“This is an excellent opportunity for North Carolina citizens to show support for our country’s most visited national park site (23 million visitors per year); we have known for a long time that our visiting motorists have had a love-affair with the Blue Ridge Parkway; we expect the response to be dramatic,” emphasized Dan Brown, parkway superintendent.

Most of the Parkway’s partners are lending their support to promote enrollment of licensed drivers into the program which will generate additional revenues in support of Parkway projects and programs in North Carolina – from protecting the scenic quality of this national designated All-American road to educating children about the magic of our national parks. Application forms can be obtained from the Conservation Trust for North Carolina, Friends of the Blue Ridge Parkway, the High Country Conservancy, the Blue Ridge Parkway Association, the Blue Ridge Rural Land Trust, Eastern National, the Carolina Mountain Club and The Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation.

The Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation which will manage this tag revenue program is the private supporting foundation for the Blue Ridge Parkway. It’s authority to request and receive funds on behalf of the Parkway is vested in a cooperative agreement with the National Park Service and the Department of Interior. The Foundation can be contacted at P.O. Box 10427, Winston-Salem, NC, 27108; telephone (336) 721-0260; or internet, www.brpfoundation.org.

"The design of the Blue Ridge Parkway license plate may be seen at www.brpfoundation.org/images/finalplate.jpg."

Linda Beja, Robert Canyon, Myra Caraway, Leonard Chalnick, Dave Charlton, Thomas Davis, Patricia Feito, Harris Fields, Jr., Brenda Friedman, Richard & Joanne Greene, Nancy Holden, Adrian Lotherington, Guy Morgenstein, Larry Odoski, Linda Patton, Mary Peel, Laura Riddle, Karen Rowe, David Rust, Kim Ryals, Mary Ann Schiller, Ken Schmitt, Linda Seagle, Marilyn Smith and Yvonne Smith

At its last meeting, the Council agreed to mail post cards to the 208 members for whom we were missing either home phone numbers, e-mail addresses, or both asking for the missing information. The response to this mailing was very positive. 169 members replied to the request and either gave us their contact information, told us that they did not have e-mail, or told us that they did not wish to supply phone or e-mail information. With new members who did not supply full contact information we now are missing information for:

Annual Meeting and Banquet

Les Love indicates that this year's Annual Meeting and Banquet will be held at the Grove Park Inn Country Club on Saturday, November 1. The cost to the member will be $22 which includes two drink tickets.

Don Walton attended a workshop on liability he attended at the ATC Biennial meeting. ATC specialists who have followed this issue for 20 years reported that hike leaders who are acting in the fashion normally expected of hike leaders are not liable for accidents that occur on hikes. A hike leader can be liable if he or she acts irresponsibly, for example, by asking hike participants to undertake acts that have been identified as unsafe. With its current program, CMC does not need liability insurance, the cost of which has quadrupled since 9/11.

All sb6k completers need to review the CMC website to see if their name is listed and the year of completion....if not or if errors exist the members should send correction to the designated person on the SB6K internet area.

Greetings fellow AHS hiking enthusiasts! As we draw nearer to the Fall Conference taking place October 17-19 in Monteagle, Tennessee

I wanted to make you aware that the conference registration materials are being mailed out today. They are also available online for download at the following web address. http://www.americanhiking.org/alliance/registration.html The web site also contains a partial listing of the scheduled educational sessions, along with the speakers. This information is not in the registration materials that are being mailed out today. Additionally, an electronic newsletter has been created, and there is a subscription form at the following web address; http://www.americanhiking.org/alliance/newsletter.html This is modeled after what Don Walton of Carolina Mountain Club has for their organization. Now that the monthly E-Newsletter has been setup, we need more subscribers! Please share this information with your fellow club members. It is a great mechanism for your club to get an announcement out to a broader audience. I’ll be sending out the first E-Newsletter on August 11. If you have any announcements that you’d like included in that mailing, please get them to me by August 8. Happy Hiking!

We hope that everybody is getting ready for your big event. We have some really exciting information for our site managers! Please take advantage of some of the great opportunities that National Public Lands Day can offer.

Media Kits - We have developed Media Kits for Site Managers and they are available in hard copy format as well as available on our website www.npld.com. You can visit the site and simply click on 2003 Media Kit. It will open up in WORD format so you can edit press releases, radio public service announcements, and other media material specifically for your site. It's a great resource for getting that local coverage you've been trying to get for your park!

Take Pride in America - President Bush has reintroduced this popular volunteer program for public lands. Take Pride in America has teamed up with National Public Lands Day to help as an anchor for volunteerism. All National Public Lands Day sites are eligible and encouraged to apply for national awards from Take Pride in America. Sites from NPLD 2002 can apply for awards for 2002. Please visit www.takepride.gov for information.

NPLD Teams up with Leave No Trace, Project Learning Tree and Arbor Day - Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics and The National Environmental Education & Training Foundation have partnered for the past five years to promote minimum impact skills and responsible outdoor recreation to volunteers at National Public Lands Day sites across the country. Leave No Trace, through its participation in NPLD, seeks to educate thousands of volunteers about caring for the public lands that they are helping to restore during NPLD. Leave No Trace believes that restoration projects will experience the greatest success when complemented with education.

This year, Leave No Trace will again provide teaching tools, educational materials and Clif Bars to all interested NPLD sites. In the next month, Leave No Trace will send out a survey with additional information about how you can order FREE materials and Clif Bars to enhance your NPLD activities. In the meantime, if you have questions about Leave No Trace, please contact Joel Stretch at joel@LNT.org.

Another educational resource for National Public Lands Day sites is Project Learning Tree, (PLT), a program sponsored by the American Forest Foundation. Curriculum uses forests as a "window" on the world with current materials on forest ecology, fire education and municipal solid waste. We are working with PLT state coordinators to provide educational resources for interested sites. Contact Dave Chase dchase@plt.org at Project Learning Tree if you are interested.

Sites may also be interested in the FREE Tree Planting Resource Kit for Volunteers from the National Arbor Day Foundation. The kit (for those new to tree planting or an expert tree planter) includes a leadership guide and videos. Contact the National Arbor Day Foundation (402-474-0820) or education@arborday.org.

Materials Are on the Way!! - A shipment just went out from our BLM sponsored mail center in Denver, Colorado. If you have not already received materials (from the last shipment in late May), expect a package of NPLD commerorative posters, brochures, and promotional posters. We will ship NPLD recognition certificates to everybody at once in late August. If you need additional supplies, you can contact Monika Gorzelanska at NEETF; 202-261-6461 or gorzelanska@neetf.org. Also look out for our Summer Newsletter which should be dropped in the mail next week!

Signature Event on The Mall - A national recognition ceremony will be held on National Public Lands Day at Constitution Gardens on The Mall in Washington, D.C. The ceremony will celebrate the nearly 80,000 volunteers across the country who are "Helping Hands for America’s Lands." Interior Secretary Gale Norton, members of Congress, and local and national celebrities are expected to join Woodsy Owl, the USDA Forest Service’s mascot, and hundreds of volunteers in a daylong celebration of volunteerism on public lands.

In addition to the ceremony, volunteers will work to restore and improve the Mall’s special natural areas. At Constitution Gardens, duck ramps will be built in the pond to allow ducklings access in and out of the water. There will be a shoreline cleanup of the Potomac River adjacent to the Lincoln Memorial and Tidal Basin. At the D.C. War Memorial, children will be building bat boxes that will be placed throughout The Mall to improve local bat habitat. Nearly 400 volunteers are expected to turn out.

As always, please feel free to contact us with any questions, comments or concerns. We hope that your planning for National Public Lands Day is going well. Thank you again for your involvement.

Robb Hampton National Environmental Education & Training Foundation 1707 H Street, NW Suite 900 Washington, D.C. 20006 202-261-6462 202-261-6464 (facmile) www.neetf.org www.npld.com

What is the Grants-to-Clubs Program? ATC provides grants to Appalachian Trail maintaining clubs for projects that meet the guidelines below and are in keeping with ATC's policy on managing the Trail for a primitive experience [link tk]. Applications are reviewed by a subcommittee of the Trail and Land Management Committee, which makes recommendations for approval at the Board of Managers meeting in November. Payments are mailed to clubs the following spring.

Types of projects that will be considered: 1. Physical projects o Shelter or privy construction o Materials for new signs o Major tool purchases o Bridge construction o Trail construction

2. Start-up funds for major public service projects o Initial development of Trail or club brochure o Development of materials for new Trail education programs (i.e.: slide shows, written materials, specialized training) o Development of physical facility for information/education centers for the Trail o Money to cover costs of contracting staff on a short-term basis to assist Trail or club programs o Training for trail work, publications, club organizations, volunteer motivation, etc.

3. Major one-time financial needs o Assistance to complete construction of major relocation including capital improvements (bridges, parking areas, etc.) o Assistance in developing a fundraising drive or membership drive o Sudden catastrophic loss or damage to the Trail or Trail facility

Types of projects that generally would not be considered: o Routine club expenses or normal maintenance costs o Funds for ongoing projects, except those clearly of a start-up nature o Requests where the club cannot demonstrate its own matching contribution in labor money, or in-kind contributions o Proposals not supported with a plan for continued ongoing funding

Publicity In order to increase the visibility of the club, the Conference, and the Appalachian Trail, ATC's Board of Managers requests that grant recipients make specific public relations efforts, such as local news releases, about projects funded through this program. Assistance is available for publicity efforts by contacting ATC at (304) 535-6331.

How to Apply Grant applications are due September 2 (extensions may be granted) and may be mailed to Grants to A.T. Clubs, P.O. Box 807, Harpers Ferry, WV 25425, e-mailed to <clubgrants@appalachiantrail.org>, or faxed to (304) 535-2667. Information to include in order for your application to be fairly evaluated is shown on the attached application form. The one-page application is usually adequate for minor grant proposals. Additional information is necessary for larger proposals. Please use a separate application form for each grant your club requests.

The Trail and Land Management Committee urges you to contact your Regional Representative to discuss your grant application, particularly if new facility construction is proposed. The regional representative can assist in preparing your request and help explain your proposal if questions arise at the committee or Board meetings.

ATC New England Regional Office ATC MidAtlantic Regional Office E-mail: <atc-nero@appalachiantrail.org> E-mail: <atc-maro@appalachiantrail.org> Telephone: 603-795-4935 Telephone: 717-258-5771

Cent./S.W. Virginia Regional Office Tennessee/N.Carolina/Georgia Regional Office E-mail: <atc-varo@appalachiantrail.org> E-mail: <atc-soro@appalachiantrail.org> Telephone: 540-961-5551.

(((( Please pass this email along to your membership - Larry Metayer - RATC )))) We've had a great response to Multi-Club meet 2003. But your thinking. it's to late to register. Well, we will be taking reservations up to Labor Day weekend. There is still time to mail your registration form in along with your check. or attach the registration form to an email and email it to me at metayer@infionline.net and pay when you arrive at Multi-Club site or call me with the information from the registration form. work: (540) 890-7520 Home (540) 344-1877. We have a great weekend planned with great hikes, activities and entertainment; Friday night the Witcher family will give a presentation on the their through hike of the AT. Saturday night, we will have music for you to enjoy and Sunday after the general meeting Leonard Atkens will give his "Wild Flowers on the Appalachian Trail" presentation. Come out and renew old friendship and start new ones and come to Multi-Club 2003 Registration is located at website: http://www.aophoto.com/MultClub2003.htm

We want to let CMC members, know that "The Mystery of George Masa" is now available on DVD. The DVD has some expanded features, such as an interview with Paul Bonesteel, and a "slide show" of some of Masa's remarkable photos. Cost is $25.00, plus 1.75 tax, and $5.00 shipping. We are happy to have folks come in to pick it up, too, and avoid the shipping cost. More information, and the order form, are on the web site: www.bonesteelfilms.com. Carol Kaczmarek, Bonesteel Films Inc. 828.236.0300

I have just heard that the Alan Barton Rattlesnake Lodge sign has been installed. Many of you remember Alan Barton and the many years of hiking we have done with him. To finally get this symbol of his service to the the Carolina Mountain Club installed is great indeed. Please join me in getting up there to look at it and we will start getting organized to dedicate this happening.

Bringing the proper equipment will add greatly to your enjoyment, your safety, and the enjoyment and safety of the group. This stuff is essential if you are going out in the woods for more than a couple of hours. Make sure that you are comfortable with your equipment and you know where it all fits in. Do not carry anything in your hands; do not tie a jacket around your waist. Everything should fit in your daypack. Carry your wallet and keys in your daypack, at all times. In your daypack: Two quarts of water in plastic water bottles (not soda bottles) Lunch and snacks Rain jacket (no matter what the forecast) Long sleeve shirt (no matter what the forecast) Sunglasses Wool or fleece hat and gloves Insect repellent Sunscreen Tissues Personal first aid kit Small flashlight Plastic bag for trash If it is not the height of a warm summer, add: Warm fleece hiking sweater or jacket Rain pants How to dress: Shorts and a short-sleeve T-shirt as the bottom layer. Hiking boots that are well broken-in and that go over the ankles Good hiking socks (not sports socks). Sunhat with a wide brim Bandanna which you need to keep handy Dress in layers: Your first layer should be a short-sleeve t-shirt (synthetic, not cotton) even if it seems cool in the morning. You will warm up. Your second layer should be a long-sleeve shirt (also synthetic). If you need extra layers, you will have your warm hiking sweater and rainjacket. Shorts give you more mobility and keep you cooler; pants give you more protection from insects and brush. Questions, comments, additions to the list? Send to danny@hikertohiker.org